TRT maintains edge over some
Most people remain undecided about which political party they will vote for in the next general election, although Thai Rak Thai is leading the pack among the parties favoured, according to a survey by Assumption University.
Almost 58 per cent of the respondents said they had "no favourite" parties at the moment even if a general election were to be held today. Among the parties named by those who did indicate a favourite, Thai Rak Thai received a 22.3 per cent approval rating, followed by the Democrat Party (16.6 per cent) and Chat Thai (3.0), according to results of the Abac Poll released yesterday. The poll was conducted on 4,868 people in 17 provinces of all regions between January 28 to March 21. The nation-wide survey also found that in terms of reliability, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and junta leader Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin lead former premier Thaksin Shinawatra by a wide margin, said Abac Poll director Noppadol Kannika. When asked if they believed in Surayud, 56 per cent of the respondents answered in the affirmative while 8.5 per cent replied in the negative. The remaining 35 per cent gave no comment. The supporters pointed to the PM's honesty, leadership and morality. Sonthi, who heads the Council for National Security, got a 51 per cent approval rating, compared to 10.4 per cent who said they "did not believe in him". His supporters said he is a good, honest and hard-working person. Less than 24 per cent voted in favour of Thaksin, whose supporters cited his great management and government policies. Moreover, 62.7 per cent of the respondents indicated that if there was a referendum today, they would vote for a new constitutional draft in order to end all the political disturbance and allow a new election to be held.
Saijai Kirdmongkon The Nation
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